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H. H. BRYANT, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 79,808, dated July 14,1868.

IMPROVBMENTIN FIRE-PROG? SAFES.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

lBe it known that I, H. H. BRYANT, of Boston, in the county1 of Suffolk, and State oflvassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Fire- Proof` Safes; andI do hereby declare ythat thel following is a full,'clear, and

exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specifiestion, in which- Figure 1 isv a vertical section, taken from front to rear, through the centre of a fire-proof safe. Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section through the safe. 'Figures 3 and l show the construction of the water-vessels which are applied to the safe. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures. This invention relates to certain novel improvements on safes and other structures in which itis desired to preserve valuable property against destruction by re, wherein water or .other liquid is employed within the f door and walls of such structures, for the purpose of preventing the place of deposit from becoming heated to such a degree as to injure anything contained therein. i

In the construction of safes, or othergstructurcs of a similar nature, with water or other suitable liquid contained within their walls, itis very important to prevent the steam which is generated, during a fire, within the walls of the safes from communicating with the place of deposit, for, if this should occur, many valuable books and papers may be seriously injured or totally ruined.` It is also important, in the construction of such safes, to provide for the escape of the steam, under a certain pressure,fron1 the water-vessels, so as to prevent explosion, and to do this in whatever position the safe may be placed, or' may assume,`during the existence ofa iire; also, to provide for the entrance of4 external air into said water-vessels, so as to prevent the creation of a vacuum therein by condensation of steam. y

The nature of my invention consistsp First, in the combination of vessels adapted for containing a huid suitable for generating steam with a safe which has its chamber of deposit made steam-tight against the steam which is generated from the water in said vessels,

Second, in the application, to a safe, or other fire-proof structure'of a similar character, either in the first construction, or in tho alteration of such a structure, of one or more Huid-containing vessels or chambers, which are provided with valves, which will allow the escape of the steam generated from the water in said vessel or. vessels, whatever may be the position of the safe or structure during a tire.

Third, in the application of airsvalves, arranged in the same manner as the steam-valves, (except that they open inwards,) to the said iiuid-containinfl vessels.

Fourth, infilling a vessel, or other chamber 'used in .a safe or {ire-proof. structure as a stcam-generator, partly with water, and partly with nn absorbent material, such, for instance, es plaster of Paris, say, the vessel to he heli` full ci' plaster of Paris, and` haltfull of water, the two quantities filling the chamber` The plaster of Paris or other absorbent material having first been provided with all the water that it will absorb, the remaining space in the vessel or chamber is filled with water or steam-generating iiuid. I

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operation,

In applying my invention to a safe made iu the ordinary manner, I prefer to remove the filling` used in the construction oi' tho door, and substitute, in its stead, a case or frame of such form as Will receive avessel for holding water or other liquid suitable for generating steam. This ease or frame should be of such. construction, und so appliedv to the safe-door, that, when the door is closed, the door will shut against the edge of the case which encloses the space used as a place of deposit. The inner surface of said frame or door is covered with a sheet of cork', or any other yielding substance which will answer the desired purpose, viz, of making a tight joint when the door is closed, and hermetically sealing the space used as theiplace of deposit, so as to eifectually preclude the entrance of steam into said space.

The invention is not confined to the exact mode of tightly closing the saiedoor, nor to the material herein mentioned, as various means and a variety of materials may be adopted with substantially the same result, viz', the exclusion of steam or vapor from the vault or place of deposit. It may be done without altering the ordinary safe-doors, by substituting other doors, properly constructed and adapted for the purpose, in place of the doors of the ordinary construction.

The vessels for containing a steam-generatingV liquid are provided with two sets of valves', one set being for the eduction of steam, and the other for the induction of air. The latter are used to prevent the vessels from collapsing bythe external pressure of the 'atmosphere should the steam in said-vessels be condensed. I prefer to use sixteen of these valves, eight o f which will open outward, for the escape o'f steam, and eight will open inward, for'the entrance of air under certain circumstances, placing one of each kind in the eight corners of each vessel. By the use of this number of valves, arranged as described, the vessels may be nearly illed with' a liquid, and, lwhen filled, they cannot be placed in lsuch a position as will not leave one of each kind of the valves above the surface of the liquid contained in them.

It will be understood that the pressure of the steam,.or that of the atmosphere, will act upon the valves which are above the surface of the liquid, so that none of the latter can escape through the'action of either pressure upon the valves.

If the vessel is filled about three-fourths full, one-halt` the, number ofyalves would answer the purpose, and

the employment of only four ofthe valves would probably admit of vthe use of a sufficient quantity of liquid to resist the action of heat for a time long enough to preserve the deposits in the safe from loss. The vessels are constructed in any suitable manner, andof any required form and size, and placed within the safe orA vault in such manner as to afford the best protection to its contents. I then introduce a frame, that presents iive sides of a steam-tight case, which serves to hold the liquid-vessels in place, and which also encloses l live sides of a space to be used as the vault orplace of deposit, the remaining side being closed by thedoor, as hereindescribed. Y

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the outer wall ot' an ordinary safe or vault, and B represents the inner wall thereof. C is the safe-door, having a sheet of cork, D, applied on its inner face, so as to make a.I tight joint when' the door'is closed, and prevent'the entranceof steam er vapor into the place of deposit.

Within the space enclosed by the walls of the safe is a casing, Eywhich is open in front only. On each side of this case, water-boxes, F F, are placed, as shown in fig. 2, which vessels have valves, a a, b applied at their corners, as shown in figs. 3 and 4. The valves a a allow steam to escape when lthe pressure thereof preponderates over the springs a', which hold these valves to their seats,and the valves IJ 6 allowexternal air to rush into the vessels when.the springs b are unable-to4 resist the external pressure, as above set forth.

Provision for the escape of the steam outside ot' the casings A B C may be made in any practical manner,

. either by vents, pipes, or othe'r devices, if foundinecessary. A similar mode ot' providing for the supply of air to the chambers, from a point outside of the said casings, may be adopted.y Whatever provision is made for these purposes,it should be such as will not interfere with the practical operation ofthe steam-generating vessels or chambers. v The safe`-door C also contains a liquid-vessel, G, which is .provided with two sets of valves, a a and I) b, arranged so that they will operate, as described, for the valves of vessels F.

If the safe or vault had an established position, and was so fixed that it could-not be,dis,turbed by falling l walls, or otherwise, during a fire, then two sets of valves, applied above the liquid in vessels G, would answer every purpose desired. -'Ihis, however, is not the case with portable safes; consequently, I apply such a numberoil valves to the several water-chambers that, in whateverY position the safe may be placed, one of each vkind.

of the valves will be in proper position for eifectivo operation.

I do not confine my invention to the application of cork, or other suitable yielding substance, to the inner fac'e of the safe-door, as I have shown in lig. 1, because the'same result can be attained by applying a suitably-` yielding substance to the jamb of thexsafe-door, or to the frontl face of 'the inside casing, formingthe place vof deposit.

Instead of employing water or other suitable liquid alone inthe vessels F G, I have obtained very 'goed results by employing a porous substance saturated with a liquid.

The mode of employing such porous substance, in combination with water or other steam-generating liquid,

would be as follows: Take, for'instance, sulicicnt plaster of Paris to fill one-half of the area of the chamber the chamber or vessel with water or other suitable yfluid.

The vessel for containing this combination of fluid and solid matter would have to be made air and'watertight, under ordinary pressure, to prevent evaporation or leakage, or be furnished with pipes, by which the requisite quantity'of water would be ysupplied from time to time, as necessity requires. 'Ihe chambers, under any circumstances, must have apertures or doors, through which the water may be introduced, such apertures or doors being constructed and fitted steam and water-tight; or, if not-so constructed, the valve-apertures must be employed for this purpose'.

which is tocontain it, supply this with all the water it will absorb, and afterwards ill the remaining space of Such a combination-filling as that just described will form .a wall or lining fora safe that will resist the i action of heat upon the deposits in the safe, so vas to ypreserve them uninjured for a length of timc as great as l the usual duration of ordinary' lires, and, in ease the water should all lbecomeevaporated,.the plaster of Paris would still, `to 'a greatcxtent, prevent a destruction of the contents of the safe.r

What I claim as` my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of one or more vessels, vadapted for containing a liquid suitable for generating steam, with a safe which has its chamber ot' deposit made steam-tight against the steam which is generated from the Water in said vessels. substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

y2. The arrangement of Water or Huid-vessels with steam-valves, applied either within the door ofthe safe, oi' immediately around the receptacle E, or both within the door and around said receptale, substantially as and for the purpose described. t i

3. Providing the water-vessels with air-valves, substantially inthe manner and for the purpose describeda 4. The combination of both air and steam-valves with the water-vessels applied to a safe, substantially as -aud for the purpose described.

5. The arrangement of the valves in or ou the water-vessels or chambers in such a] manner that some of tho valves will operante, in Whatever position the safe niay assume during a re, substantially as described.

6. l The combination of water or other uifl with a. solid absorbent substance, s a. filling for a vessel ork a chamber usedin s. safe or other similar re-proof structure, substantially'fts and for thepurpose described.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my, henri, this 24th clay of July, A. D. 1867.

H. H. BRYANT. Witnesses:

J. DEAN Bo-NXEY, E. C. GRXFFITU. 

